BOY TROUBLE

This is my first Frozen fan fiction. It's AU and modern, so sorry if it's a little bit naughty! I do not own any of these enchanting characters. Please comment nicely!

The marble floor felt freezing cold beneath Anna's bare feet as she left her dark bedroom and stumbled into the hallway. Stretching and yawning, the sleepy redhead walked with wandering steps to the upstairs parlor, which was open to the hall. Then she flopped down on a blue velvet settee and curled her long legs under her. She was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes when her sister Elsa emerged from her upstairs office.

"How can you stand getting up so early?" Anna was always getting in trouble for saying the first thing that popped into her head. But now that she'd been kicked out of school and was back at home she naturally fell back into old habits.

"Well, I don't especially like it, but sometimes a ruler has to do things she doesn't like." Elsa was dressed to go out in the cold. The tall, slim blonde looked every inch a queen in her polished leather boots and long fur cloak, with her face perfectly made up and every silver-golden hair perfectly in place. But Anna could tell her big sister was worried about something, just from the way she frowned and tapped her boot against the cold marble floor while she pulled her tan leather gloves on one finger at a time.

"Is something wrong? Is Arendelle in danger? Do you want me to come with you?" Anna was off the couch at once and gazing up at her big sister with worried green eyes, forgetting all about her own problems. She even forgot how cold she was in her nightgown, and how her feet were freezing again already on the stone floor.

"A storm is brewing. I can feel it in my bones." Elsa's pale blue eyes looked very far away for a moment, like she was feeling the high wind and the swarms of snowflakes growing inside of her. But then she looked at Anna, noticing her bare feet and tousled hair and the way her silk nightgown kept slipping off one shoulder. Elsa gave Anna a crooked smile, realizing that boy trouble was her sister's only weakness. "Look, I've got to be outdoors all day. But it would help me a lot if you would stay here and keep an eye on things. Answer the phones, sort through the mail, that sort of thing. Oh, and there's a huge pile of invitations that's got to go out for the Winter Ball. You won't mind stuffing some envelopes?"

"No, of course not," Anna replied. "I'm here to help you, Elsa."

The snow didn't really look that bad, Anna told herself, as she started the big job of stuffing the envelopes and tossing the sealed invitations into a big pile on her sister's desk. Elsa was just being overprotective by keeping her indoors. It would be a lot more fun to be outside on a morning like this, especially if there were boys around. Leaning back in her sister's huge swivel chair, Anna gazed out at the falling snow and pictured all the fun she could have with two or three good-looking boys.

Just then the telephone rang, waking her up from her daydream. "Hello?" Anna was in such a hurry to answer she accidentally spilled some of the steaming hot chocolate she'd been drinking.

"Anna, what are you doing at home? I thought you'd be out having fun on a day like this. You know, building snowmen and all that."

"I don't want to talk to you, Hans." Anna frowned at the two invitations she'd ruined. Having Hans on the phone reminded her of all the trouble she'd gotten into at school – she saw the two of them making out backstage at the school play, and then the curtain going up a bit too early and everyone getting a free show!

"Aw, come on, getting kicked out of school wasn't that bad," Hans said, laughing as though it were all a big joke. "Hey, is Elsa letting you run the office all by yourself?"

"Yes, she is!" Anna was so mad she didn't stop to think it was really none of Hans' business how things were going in Arendelle.

"You sound like you're really on top of things," Hans told her. "Sounds like Elsa made a good choice. I can totally see you being a ruler on your own someday, making really important decisions. Just like Elsa, only smarter and sexier and . . . more grown up."

"What do you want, Hans?" Anna bit down on her lip to keep from smiling. She really had to fight the warm feeling she got from hearing Hans' voice. There was no room in her heart for a boy who got her in trouble and then just left her hanging!

"Hey, I thought I was dialing the ruler of Arendelle," Hans protested, sounding innocent and hurt. "I just had some questions about the guest list for the Winter Ball. Maybe I should call back later when there's an adult in the office. Or I could swing by in my great big reindeer-drawn sled, and the two of us could take a long sleigh ride together and enjoy the falling snow. Remember how much fun we had last winter? We could build a snowman . . ."

"Grrr!" Anna slammed down the telephone, her cheeks flaming hot. Hans had helped her build a snowman, all right, but when he stuffed snow down the back of her neck she'd squealed and shivered and tried to get behind him with a snowball of her own. Then they'd fallen into the snow together, laughing and wrestling until great big handsome Hans pinned her down and kissed her. And then . . .

"Queen Elsa?" A shy voice, a light tap on the office door.

"What do you want?" Anna's temper was still steaming. Thanks to Hans, she had gotten herself all worked up, so hot and bothered, and the big blonde oaf in the deliveryman's uniform had such a sweet, helpless look on his face. She really felt like kicking him.

"S-sorry, Your Majesty, but you ordered the deluxe upgrade and I need to install the software before the snow starts."

"I'm not a queen," Anna snapped. She felt foolish for not bothering to get dressed or even put on a robe. Still there was a part of her that didn't mind having a big, good-looking boy with shy blue eyes looking her over in her flimsy bed gown. "Do I look like a queen?"

"You look amazing," the delivery boy said hoarsely. His rosy cheeks were suddenly as red as apples. "I'm sorry, I'm just so new to this job and . . . and I wanted to start before the snow. Can I just work around you while you sit at your desk? I promise I won't get in your way."

"I suppose I could give you a hand," Anna said, in her haughtiest voice. But she couldn't help smiling. People were always treating Elsa like a queen and making Anna feel like a child. This time the shoe was on the other foot!

"Thanks," the boy said shyly, holding out his hand. "My name is Kristoff. I used to be an ice cutter, but I quit."

"I'm Anna, Queen Elsa's sister. I used to go to school. But I quit."

They both laughed at the same time. That sort of broke the ice between them. There was a lot of plugging and unplugging to do behind the desk, and both Anna and Kristoff had to move things around and lift up boxes and chairs. More than once Anna reached for something before the delivery boy could get it, and their hands brushed in a way that sent electricity right through her. They were down on the floor, squeezed into a narrow space, and their bodies kept rubbing together by accident as they worked.

"That ought to do it," Kristoff finally said, standing up and brushing the dust from his huge hands. "Now you should be all turned on."

"Right, all turned on," Anna repeated, her thoughts a bit foggy. She wanted to say something charming, maybe invite Kristof to stay for tea or something. Instead she kept gawking at his hands, those huge paws that were so skilled at twiddling knobs and pushing buttons on her sister's delicate equipment.

Anna wondered what those hands would feel like if they were resting lightly on her shoulders, or pressing warmly against her cheeks. And what if at the same time his lips were on her lips . . .

"Princess Anna, it is time for lunch." Helga the royal housekeeper was a tall, silver-haired woman in black with a great deal of authority. When she looked at poor Kristoff it was like she was seeing mud on the royal carpets. But he wasn't like that at all!

"Right, lunch! I'm starving, and it's time for lunch." Anna scurried to obey the housekeeper, feeling a bit like a traitor somehow. She turned around to smile and wave, but as the door closed behind her Kristoff was already packing up his toolbox. He didn't look up.